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Need Help!

Jackpvfc

Jackpvfc

Jackpvfc

Associate
Joined
2 Oct 2012
Posts
10
I had my PC custom built by a family friend in 2010.

All I know are the following Specs (all from glancing at 'device manager'):

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6700 @ 2.66GHz
ATI Radeon HD 4850
and the monitor is an 'LG L1915S' (19").

Recently I got GuildWars2 and I'm unable to play it on anything higher than minimum settings. It can run on medium but if theres a lot going on then it will soon crash.

I spoke to serveral people online and somebody said it might be a Power Supply problem so I had a look and couldn't see what 'Watt' my power supply was.

I'm just looking at some advice on how to improve my PC so I can play games in the future on high settings, such as FarCry3.

Also my monitor is around 5-6 years old, could this affect the quality of visuals?

All advice and help is appreciated, thank you.
 
The monitor wouldn't make the game crash.

The problem may lay with your graphics card which is relativly old compared to the technology that modern games are being developed towards. MMO's and RPG's are largely CPU dependent and as your CPU is running at a low clock speed this could also be resulting in performance issues.

I don't believe the issue is your power supply; You would expect the entire PC to shutdown if your power supply wasn't providing sufficient power during gaming.

If you have a budget we could suggest possible upgrades to be made.
 
Yeah I was just wondering if the monitor would restrict the quality of visuals when I upgrade my video card?
And I'm looking at a budget at around £150-200, I've only just realised how much video cards actually are haha
 
Thanks for the replies everyone :)

How could I tell if I'm running out of VRAM? and how long would a decent video card like that last me Nickolp1974? I'd rather pay closer to the £200 mark if it meant that it would last me longer as in getting more value for my money.

I'm completely lost when it comes to knowing about things like this, wish I knew more so I could help myself rather than depending on others haha.
 
Jackpvfc said:
Thanks for the replies everyone :)

How could I tell if I'm running out of VRAM? and how long would a decent video card like that last me Nickolp1974? I'd rather pay closer to the £200 mark if it meant that it would last me longer as in getting more value for my money.

I'm completely lost when it comes to knowing about things like this, wish I knew more so I could help myself rather than depending on others haha.
Click to expand...

Its a great card, but your cpu will probably be holding it back, so save the £50 and save some more for an i5/mobo for a good jump in performance.
 
Jackpvfc said:
Thanks for the replies everyone :)

How could I tell if I'm running out of VRAM? and how long would a decent video card like that last me Nickolp1974? I'd rather pay closer to the £200 mark if it meant that it would last me longer as in getting more value for my money.

I'm completely lost when it comes to knowing about things like this, wish I knew more so I could help myself rather than depending on others haha.
Click to expand...

GPUZ can show you how much you're using.

GW2 is massively CPU limited and your CPU at the speeds you have it at is definitely going to hold any graphics card upgrade back a little. Your best bet would be to get a graphics card now - a 7850 is the best value for money card there is at the mo - and then upgrade to a cheapish Z68/Z77 motherboard with an i5 2500k/i5 3570k.

Alternatively depending on how you feel about it, you could overclock your CPU if you can to help performance.
 
Thank you :)
So I should upgrade my video card and also motherboard?

Like I said I'm completely lost when it comes to looking at PC parts.
What information should I be looking for to know that a motherboard is good?

Sorry for these annoying questions
 
No just gfx card for now.
Do you know what psu you have?

Order of upgrades

1. Gfx
2. Motherboard/cpu/ram

Keep an eye on the clearance/b-grade section for cheap deals on mobo's and possibly a cpu. Should be looking for a 1155 motherboard(z68 or z77 prefered choice)


Mobo http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BG-569-AS&groupid=595&catid=689&subcat=

Some ram http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-337-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

Then you would need an 1155 intel cpu
 
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Whats 'gfx'?
And I don't I'm afraid, I had a look inside my PC and couldn't see anything that told me, all I know is that it's an Antec.

Sorry for my lack of knowledge
 
Gfx - graphics card

Is there enough room in your case too, unplug main power cable and unscrew 4 screws and just pull it round, there should be a sticker on the other side, which will tell you model number

Oh and as rusty said if you want to try and oc your current cpu that would help you along until you can upgrade.

Basic guide here http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17612922
 
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There seems like theres a lot of room yes, and I'll have another look and see if I can pick out a model number on the psu.

And what is the procedure to overclock a cpu? and is the cpu the motherboard? and what does it exactly mean?

Again, I'm sorry for my lack of knowledge, I can imagine this is annoying haha
 
Here is quite a good guide http://www.overclock.net/t/497993/newbie-guide-to-overclocking-updated-core-2-or-below-only

Real temp download for monitoring tempretures http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/2089/mirrors.php
Cpu z download for checking speed and core volts http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/cpu-z/1.61-setup-en.exe
Prime 95 for testing your overclock http://dw.com.com/redir?edId=3&site...895.html?spi=e89118a3ca374d60adecc96ec713669d

Just do plenty of reading and if in doubt, dont do it.
If you were to upgrade your motherboard/cpu some will do automatic overclocking.
Any idea of your current motherboard, if not download and install this and it will tell you. http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Everest-Home-Edition-Download-16369.html
 
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What operating system are you using? There's no point splashing out on a 7850 if your running xp or a 32bit windows,you'll have poorer driver support and be limited to 3.5gb of pc memory

I think amd have dropped support for the 4k series graphic cards now so that won't be helping you atm
 
I've had a look inside my PC at my psu and I can't find any model number or any other information other than its made by Antec and a yellow sticker with 'Hi-POT OK' written on, but I don't think this is the model number?

And I've got a 32-bit operating system with 4.00GB of RAM (3.25GB usable).
The motherboard has GIGABYTE on it and also 'DDR3 2200+' 'Ultra Durable 3' and '2oz Copper PCB'.

It also has 'GA-EP45T-UD3P'
 
Your motherboard is:

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3014#ov

I'm not sure you need to spend any money on your PC to play GW2 at medium. My wife is playing at a reasonable quality setting at the same resolution (1280 x 1024) with an older version of your CPU (e6300 I think) & an 8800 gtx.

I would consider a fresh install of windows first with up to date drivers to see if this fixes your issues. Of course this can be a pain if you have lots of stuff to back up. But once you start spending money - well my philosophy is that it's better to save up for a new build rather then endlessly updating a system in the hope that it will keep up. And for games like Farcry 3 I suspect you really do need to consider this if your hoping to play on high settings.
 
Thanks for the reply docsonic, I can play GW2 at medium but when theres a lot going on within the game it can crash at times, especially in the dungeons. For instance, when I first ran the dungeons I'd crash 3-4 times per run which forced me to play it on minimum settings.

So your saying to not bother upgrading and just save up and buy a whole new system to prevent myself playing catch up with computer technology all the time?

Sounds a good idea, but costly.. haha
 
Lol, yes i would reccommend that too, i can just see you forgetting to put thermal paste on and killing your rig haha.

Depending on your cash there doing pcs for £1000 atm with top specs not OCUK but i cant tell u where.
 
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